Really!? Which building is that? I thought the Sterick building was the tallest? I haven't been there in a long time to remember. But I do remember reading where they said that the north tower of One Beale would be the tallest building in the city and that was at 30 stories. Now that it'll be much taller, I'm hoping for at least 45-50 stories but would be satisfied with 40. I have wanted to move back to Memphis someday. But with the crime problem and the corrupted government (Herenton and Lipscomb to name a couple) there, that's pushed my plans back a few years or so. But I still want to see the city grow and improve to where the rest of the world looks up and not down on the city.

Tallest building in Memphis is 37 stories.. pretty sure of that

<br /><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/05/12/story1.html?b=1210564800^1632033&page=1" target="_blank">Memphis Business Journal</a><br /><br />New developments in One Beale. Down to 1 tower. It will be taller, but no word on how much taller. Hopefully, we'll hear more soon.<br />

Financing is not completely secure yet, I am working with a national developer who is very interested in the building, again it is in the early stages, so nothing is etched in stone. I can tell you this, he is very optimistic, One of the intial plans which is not my area of expertise is working out something with the current lease on the building. Also, there has been positive feed back from Kimpton hotels & a few others who would be willing to help develop & manage the hotel part of the proposal. My background is in business recruitment & retention so I am not a serious developer. I have spoken to Kimpton officials & other potential tenants about being a part of this development.

I like "Landmark Plaza" by itself. Sounds great! Do you have any more details about your plans. Are you a serious developer? Do you already have financing in place?

There was an article in this past Sunday's newspaper about the Park Place West development. A Sonic Drive-In and McDonald's are the first two pieces of the development. They are wanting to bring a medical/office building, a 12-15 screen movie theater, and a grocery store to the area. They have spoken with Kroger but are seeking out other companies as well.

The airline industry is really taking hits from the fuel problem and the bad economy in general. I think in 5 or 10 yrs. from now, the whole business will be radically different from what it is today, not just in Memphis with the potential loss of the hub, but with every city.

I've always wondered what Boeing and Airbus have in line for the day that petroleum based fuels will be a thing of the past. For that matter, has FedEx made some plans?

I think the original terminal design is great. It was built 45 years ago and to me still has great architectual integrity in the sense that it offers the best of that era. When it was built, it garnered all sorts of rewards. The terminal problems seem to be mostly interior design problems.

Building that parking garage in front of it to me is like putting vinyl siding on an old house to make it appear more "updated", then realizing twenty years later your mistake.

I agree. From what I can tell it will obscure the uniqueness of the terminal, which to some may be dated, but to some - like me- is a strong image of the terminal's architectural value.

I agree with Clobber, they could make the garage look more in tune with the terminal, but at any rate, if they were to stick to that design I would be fine with it. It looks really nice, and it kind of goes with One Beale with the glass facade. If anybody hasn't read the rest of that news letter they should. It has an article with the progress going on around the airport and a pdf file on facts about KMEM as well.

I don't know. As a garage, it's nice. But it's no front door. That image obscures the architecture of the terminal. Maybe it's not reflective of the final arrangement, but I'd like the garage to complement the architectural uniqueness of the terminals (and hopefully as time goes by, we see either an expansion or renovation of the exterior of the concourses as well), not obscure it. It's like you have to go through a wall of trees to see a mansion.

Their initial foray into MEM certainly indicates interest here. I am hoping for a rapid recovery in their financials, and hopefully they'll resume their MEM plans.

Before jumping into the hot topic, I must say that I'm very impressed with the look of the new parking garage. This is a very attractive "front door" for MEM, and I think it shows that MEM is moving in the right aesthetic direction. Now let's find some new designs for terminal improvements!!

OK, on to the NW/DL merger. If/when it is approved by the DOJ, I honestly would not jump to the conclusion that MEM is out the door. I'm not going to be ignorantly optimistic like some officials in the CA who spoke of how MEM is safe and is guaranteed to see growth with the merger; however, I'd ask everyone to be slightly realistic. ATL is approaching max capacity (contrary to what some earlier poster seems to believe). Further, while MEM and ATL slightly overlap, ATL is definitely entrenched in the Southeast whereas MEM is further to the west. This could enable MEM to capture westbound traffic rather than cause travelers to backtrack through ATL. At the same time, MEM is the most marginally profitable NW hub due to extremely low costs.

IMO, it is not a question of MEM against ATL; it is one of MEM against CVG (Cincinnati). In this duel, you have to compare a SLIGHTLY higher O&D market at CVG as opposed to better weather and much lower operating costs at MEM. Furthermore, you have CVG, DTW, MSP, an IND focus city, and one could even say JFK all overlapping each other with the "new" Delta as opposed to just ATL and MEM overlapping. Further, DTW, MSP, and JFK could easily absorb CVG traffic. ATL can't exactly do this with MEM. I personally don't feel 100% secure in the MEM hub status, but at the same time, I feel a lot more comfortable with this merger than some residents in Ohio should be feeling.

I was also thinking about Frontier having major operations here or possibly moving the HQ here then I saw this article.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/04/11/us.fr...=rss_topstories
Frontier has a full plate right now.

I was also thinking about Frontier having major operations here or possibly moving the HQ here then I saw this article.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/04/11/us.fr...=rss_topstories
Frontier has a full plate right now.

Well, farewell hub status.......

I kind of like KMEM having a "hub" status...... oh well. Hopefully, something good will come out of this merger. As said before, maybe something similar to Nashville. I wonder how long it will take for a low-cost carrier to get established at KMEM once the traffic starts to slow.

Southwest is alreadyin Nashville , so I was thinking they were too close, but what if Frontier started some major operations in Memphis. Isn't Denver their only city with a ton of operations out of it?